For a lot of our clients this holiday season will be their first sober Christmas and New Years, which brings about a lot of excitement and gratitude for their new lives. They will know what it feels like to truly enjoy giving instead of receiving. After all, there is no better gift they could give to their families than the gift of sobriety. They might even discover that a season they used to dread is not only enjoyable but something they will look forward to in the future.

However, for some of our clients (and recovering alcoholics and addicts in general for that matter), celebrating this holiday season sober with family and friends isn’t an exciting prospect, its downright scary. What is one to do if the family drinks and drugs the way he used to before he got sober? What if he’s the only one there not drinking? What if his alcoholic father picks a fight with him AGAIN? Is it possible to stay sober through this stuff?

Any recovering person would tell you the answer to that question is an emphatic “yes”! It is not only possible, it is a guarantee as long as the recovering alcoholic/addict is willing to stay sober and willing to take the suggestions of his fellow recovering alcoholics and addicts.

For our clients, we require a plan in writing before leaving to spend time with their families. If that plan does not include talking to their sponsor and other recovering folks while away, they cannot go. If the plan does not include attending 12-step meetings, they cannot go. If that plan does not include a willingness to go to any length to stay sober, they cannot go. We have found the best solution to staying sober during these “firsts” is a solid plan that is laid out ahead of time mapping hour by hour and sometimes minute by minute. It’s a solution that works for our clients and has worked for many recovering alcoholics and addicts.